Great New Resources for Vegan Dogs and Cats

Gentle World volunteers frequently receive inquiries from vegans looking for reliable information about feeding a healthy, nutritious plant-based diet to their companion animals.

A while back, we put together a comprehensive guide to feeding vegan dogs, as well as an explanation of how we have approached feeding vegan cats. But recently we also found out some other great sources of information that we’re enthusiastic about sharing with our readers.

One fantastic Facebook resource is The Vegan Dog Nutrition Group, which now has over 1800 members. This is a great thing for the growing community of vegan dog caregivers, who can now share experiences and concerns with a network of like-minded people from all over the world. What’s really exciting, however, is the fact that the group’s membership includes a number of vegan veterinarians who are very generous with their time and knowledge, helping vegans to navigate their way through the confusing terrain of health and nutrition for their canine friends. Huge thanks and kudos to Sarah Austin and friends for creating and managing the group!

The new website www.EcoDogsAndCats.com is another fantastic place for vegans to visit, where they can find all their favorite foods, supplements, treats, toys, grooming supplies, and other essentials for their vegan canine or feline companion. The site’s owner, Delta Farrington, is a caregiver to both a dog and a cat who have been eating a plant-based diet for seven and ten years, respectively.

And finally, for a really simple summary of how to feed a plant-based diet to your dog, check out this chart, which offers a very uncomplicated breakdown of how to compose a healthy vegan meal for a dog. (Not sure who put this out, so if anyone has any idea, please let me know so I can give credit.) Please be aware that some supplementation is also necessary. See our guide to feeding vegan dogs for more information.

Thanks to all our friends who are helping to make it easier for vegans to give shelter to the many cats and dogs in need, without sacrificing their commitment to non-violence in all aspects of their lives. And remember, if you want to share your home and your life with a non-human friend, please adopt rather than buy. Animals are not meant to be bought and sold like merchandise, and shelters everywhere are overflowing with animals of all sorts, from cats and dogs to rabbits, hamsters, and even pigs and hens. You could be a life-saver to one of these animals in need.

"Dr. Pinfold who treated the kitty in North Melbourne, expressed to the Herald Sun that people who dont want to feed meat to their pets should consider non-carnivorous pets, for example, rabbits.She made the additional excellent point that:

Concern for animal welfare has to include a biologically-appropriate diet. You can't force your ideology on the cat.

An article written by Dr. Becker, a veterinarian who also points out: "Cats arent designed to eat carbohydrates, and in fact, their bodies dont produce the enzymes required to digest carbs.The only carbs cats in the wild eat have already been digested by their prey. When a wild feline eats a prey animal, the stomach contents of the prey contain a certain amount of already digested carbohydrates. Your cat's digestive system isnt designed to break down veggies to release the nutrients they provide."

Ethical arguments is a human characteristic not to be imposed onto animals that Mother Nature designed to eat meat. If one can't stomach a pet that's a meat eater, rabbits are furry and won't touch steak.

Diane L and Rosemary H, regarding the sad look of the dog wearing the scarf...I suspect that most of the sadness comes from what the words on that scarf say: "Vegan Dog." Those two words would make me very sad if I were a dog and denied the flavours of my natural diet, foods that dogs are intended to eat.

The dog is no doubt relieved that the scarf does not come with an added photo of a piece of broccoli beneath the words...that would be the final indignity and even more of a bone of contention. Indeed, this is hardly a red-letter day for this dog. Dream of your natural foods dear dog, for you will never taste them. Pity.

You are right, Diane! He does look sad, wearing that stupid scarf! I was going to scroll down to check the names of all the other people who agreed that you shouldn't force an unnatural diet on your companion animals, and the one who disagreed, but my computer will no longer load the whole page. Instead I'll share something bizarre I came across recently.
I'm a big fan of David Attenborough (what wildlife enthusiast isn't..!) and I believe that although his ground-breaking programmes, filming wildlife behaviour never filmed before, are made for the BBC, they are subsequently distributed all over the world. If they are not, then being British, I feel priveleged! Anyway he shared the oddest letter he ever received.

After he'd made an exceptional film of lions, the writer told him that he would have done better to have spent the money involved on training wild lions to eat grass!!!